[request_ebook] Winning Chess: How To See Three Moves Ahead
The lessons are arranged in some logical order, by the frequency with which a given pattern is seen is practical play, as well as in order of necessity, according to the authors. Later combinations use tactics described earlier in the book.
For each lesson, the authors explain the basic idea, then they show you a dozen or so examples. What's great about this book is that each combination includes TWO diagrams. The subtitle of the book is "How to See Three Moves Ahead", and the 2 diagrams are what make this possible. Without the extra diagram, it would be difficult for a player rated around 1200-1400 USCF, the target audience, to visualize the entire combination. These are not, afterall, just simple tactics. They are "combinations" of tactics, and they can be pretty difficult to spot. But because of the extra diagram, you have a real chance of solving the tactic from the 2nd one, and then you can compare that position to the initial one to see what was necessary for the combo. This is just incredibly helpful. Your pattern recognition grows by leaps and bounds.
At the end of each lesson is a quiz with for problems. These are always much easier than the earlier examples, so they really just make you feel good. The way to convince yourself that you know what you're doing is to re-read the whole book, which is a joy anyway.